At a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on August 20, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Denmark will deliver a total of 19 F-16 jets to Ukraine, of which the first six will be delivered to Kiev on New Year's Day, eight in 2024 and five the following year.
Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: “ Today, we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark are committed to delivering F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, in cooperation with the United States and its partners once the conditions for that delivery are met.”
Netherlands, Denmark to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in early 2024: (Photo: EPA-EFE)
Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands has 42 F-16s, but it is too early to say how many will be donated to Kiev. At least 12 have been put up for sale, with the Netherlands and Argentina actively negotiating a deal to transfer the F-16s in recent times.
Mr Zelensky hailed the decision as a "historic" breakthrough. "Prime Minister Mark Rutte and I agreed on the number of F-16s that will be supplied to Ukraine after the completion of pilot training," he stressed.
This commitment by the Netherlands and Denmark came a few days after the US approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets from the two European countries to Kiev.
Denmark and the Netherlands are the two leading countries in pledging to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16. Both the Netherlands and Denmark are in the process of phasing out their old US-made F-16 fighter jets and replacing them with modern F-35s.
Ukraine has repeatedly urged the West to provide it with more air force, especially F-16s. Russia has repeatedly warned that any Western shipments to Ukraine containing weapons could become a legitimate target for the Russian military.
Kong Anh (Source: Reuters)
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